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ARS Home » Southeast Area » New Orleans, Louisiana » Southern Regional Research Center » Food Processing and Sensory Quality Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #428268
Research Project: Enhancing Marketability and Ensuring Safety for Peanut and Tree Nut Consumers

Location: Food Processing and Sensory Quality Research

Title: Phenylglyoxal-induced Ana o 3 modification reduces antibody binding with minimal alteration in protein structure

Author
item Brown, Chaka
item Vuong, Tien
item WEIGLE, AUSTIN - Oak Ridge Institute For Science And Education (ORISE)
item CHOU, YU-JOU - Florida State University
item RAO, QINCHUN - Florida State University
item EBMEIER, CHRISTOPHER - University Of Colorado
item Dupre, Rebecca
item Boue, Stephen
item Smith, Brennan
item Mattison, Christopher

Submitted to: Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 9/12/2025
Publication Date: 9/17/2025
Citation: Brown, C.N., Vuong, T.T., Weigle, A.T., Chou, Y., Rao, Q., Ebmeier, C.C., Dupre, R.A., Boue, S.M., Smith, B., Mattison, C.P. 2025. Phenylglyoxal-induced Ana o 3 modification reduces antibody binding with minimal alteration in protein structure. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jafc.5c10372.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jafc.5c10372

Interpretive Summary: Eating cashew and other tree nuts or peanuts provides numerous health benefits, but some people experience allergic reactions to the allergens in the nuts. Processing can change the way food allergens are perceived by our immune systems, and it can reduce allergy risks. This study explores a specific chemical process that modifies a cashew nut allergen called Ana o 3. Immunologic testing shows that the modified Ana o 3 allergen is less recognizable by antibodies from the immune system, suggesting it may trigger fewer allergic responses. Biochemical analysis and computer simulations confirmed that key parts of the allergen were altered, but its overall structure remained mostly unchanged. These findings could help develop new allergy treatments based on this chemical allergen modification. Improved allergen therapies will make tree nut and tree nut consumption safer for those with allergies and lead to increased demand for tree nut and peanut production.

Technical Abstract: The nutritional benefits of nut consumption are complicated by the presence of allergens. Food processing techniques can modify food protein properties by altering their biophysical characteristics and allergen activity. This study examines the phenylglyoxal-based chemical modification of the cashew nut allergen Ana o 3. Immunoassays with multiple antibodies demonstrate reduced recognition of phenylglyoxal modified Ana o 3. Mass spectrometry identified multiple Ana o 3 modification sites including arginine 41, 54, 85, and 111. Circular dichroism, biochemical assays, and molecular simulation indicate the modifications resulted in minimal protein structure alteration. The findings presented here provide insight to Ana o 3 surface chemistry and could be applied in the design of alternative forms of immunotherapy to treat cashew nut and other food allergies.